all souled out

The most important revelation that transpired during that fateful Saturday’s “Truth Awareness Talk” (a.k.a. Jun Lozada’s visit to DLSC) was not that the corruption in our government is so foul that one can probably smell it all the way to the moon. We Filipinos have known this rancidity all along, or have pushed it to the back of our minds. But it’s always there: the burning suspicion of where our taxes really go. What Jun Lozada merely did was to “confirm” it (once again) so that it becomes imperative for us to be indignant (once again) or risk looking really bad to the rest of the world if we choose to continue living in denial (again and again).

It was not that Lozada has proven himself good at rhetoric; I praise him for his suave reference to the Bato-Balani Battle of the Bands backdrop (already set up on stage during mass) to predispose the audience to the rest of his speech. I challenge my students to practice the same technique and breeze through their speech courses.

It was not even his inspiring answers to the toughest questions thrown during the open forum (c/o Dodong). He denies claiming he was the nation’s “messiah.” On TV he has admitted, somehow, that only people in such dire straits as he is can do the same things he has done.

Therefore, the most important realization I had that fateful Saturday came to me during the

Student Council’s response to Jun Lozada’s call for vigilance for the sake of the youth.

The DLSC community had been at its most polite, most attentive mode all through out Lozada’s stint; but when the time came for SC representatives Mavic Agbisit and Cedric Viguilla to speak, Jun Lozada chose to turn a deaf ear. His actions ran counter to his words

when he chose to indulge the crowd, smile and strike poses for pictures, sign autographs,

“make

beso-beso” and “chika” all through out SC’s meticulously written position speech “Sa Panig ng Katotohanan.”

Only a few of us stood to the side, away from the noisy crowd, to listen to what the SC had to say. Pinaghirapan namin to, a member of the current SC remarked. Parang binabastos kami.

Hindi lang parang. Talagang. Another student replied. This, I thought, is the voice of the youth that Lozada referred to earlier as the nation’s inspiration in upholding social justice and truth.

So, to reiterate, the most important realization was that our society’s “starstruck” mentality has turned Jun Lozada into a “rockstar.” Look at how quickly his actions negate his flowery words; look at how happily he cavorts in the limelight. Look at what we have done to him: this man we had previously adored for what he has put on stake for “the truth.”

Now, would I trust a rockstar’s truth-claims? Yeah. Certainly. But if and only if they kick the bucket at 27.

[click here for the full text of SC's Position Paper: Sa Panig ng Katotohanan]